Healthy Snacking for Weight Loss: Myth or Reality
Categories: HEALTH
Healthy Snacking for Weight Loss: Myth or Reality?
Healthy snacking is important for maintaining a balanced diet and keeping our energy levels up throughout the day. Making good snack choices can be challenging when we are on the go. Although there are many snacks available to buy in the market, they can be expensive.
Some nutritious snacks include Greek yogurt, hummus and vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and nut butters and apple slices.
i. Plan ahead: Before you leave the house, take a few minutes to think about what snacks you might need on the go. Pack some healthy snacks like fruits, nuts or seeds to keep you energized throughout the day.
ii. Use sugary snacks: Sweet snacks can give you a quick energy boost, but the effect wears off quickly and can leave you feeling lethargic. Instead, choose snacks that provide sustained energy, such as nuts, seeds and whole grains.
iii. Read nutrition labels: Pay attention to the nutrition information on the packaging. Look for snacks high in sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats.
iv. Choose whole foods: Whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are more filling and nutrient-rich than processed snacks. Opt for whole foods whenever possible.
v. Portion control: Snacking can be healthy, but it's important to practice portion control. Stick to small, single-serving portions to avoid overeating.
vi. Always stay hydrated: Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to help you stay hydrated and avoid unnecessary snacking.
By following these tips, you can make healthy snacking options on the go, even when you're short on time.
Healthy snacks that help you lose weight
Switching to a healthier diet can do wonders for your health. Choosing to eat homemade, fresh and unprocessed foods can play a big role in warding off chronic diseases. The best snacks are those that contain protein, fiber, and healthy fats. These help you stay full throughout the day and make healthier choices at your next meal.
Popcorn: Of all the possible snack foods, popcorn tops the list, especially when you are trying to lose weight.
Cheese and Fruit: Cheese is made by boiling and curdling milk in the presence of acidic substances like vinegar or lemon. While the milk boils, it forms into curds and is then pressed to make a large piece of cheese. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein with low calories. One hundred grams of paneer contains about 20 grams of protein.
Use Cayenne Pepper with Guacamole: His guacamole starts life regular, but adding roasted red peppers takes it to a whole new level. It's a rare day that we advocate going beyond your basic guacamole recipe. At the end of the day, good guacamole is as simple as ripe avocado, salt, lime.
Olives: Both olives and olive oil help us in weight management. Olives are small fruits that grow on olive trees. They contain significant amounts of vitamin E. They contain strong antioxidants. Although eating olives may help you lose weight, serving sizes are generally considered relatively small. In fact, some producers specify three to five olives per serving.
Apple Slices with Peanut Butter: Apples and peanut butter are nutritional rock stars each in their own right. They strike a perfect balance of nutrients that are hard to find in today's popular snacks. The apple is a source of whole-food carbs and fiber, while the peanut butter provides extra fiber and a hefty dose of healthy fat and protein.
Hard-Boiled Eggs: The hard-boiled egg diet is a low-carb, low-calorie eating plan that claims to promote weight loss by restricting your diet to certain food groups. The boiled egg diet is a fad diet that promises rapid weight loss.
Fruit Salad: Add orange juice and lemon zest to a fruit salad recipe. Seasonal fruits can help us stay healthy as the seasons change because they are high in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They help our bodies meet their nutritional requirements.
Green leafy vegetables: Green leafy vegetables are rich in fiber and essential nutrients. This includes kale, spinach, lettuce, etc. Green leafy vegetables help in keeping a check on the sugar level, prove good for heart patients, obesity and other health problems.
What should we especially avoid for weight loss?
Milk and Banana: Consuming banana with milk is one of the best food combinations for weight gain. Therefore, for weight loss, consume less of both banana and milk. However, they are rich in nutrients. Milk is a great source of protein, vitamins, phosphorus and calcium. While bananas are rich in fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C etc.
Rice and Potatoes: Potatoes being purely starchy and high in calories lead to weight gain. 1 Potato gives 100 calories. Eating a potato, or any type of carbohydrate-rich food, will not automatically make you fat. However, if you're watching your weight, enjoy potatoes in moderation and be careful about how you add them to your diet. For example, butter and sour cream are high in fat. It's not the amount of bad potatoes to blame if you eat it that way, and the type of rice you eat affects potential weight gain. Rice works to increase weight, but it all also depends on how much you eat throughout the day.
What if you get hungry in the evening?
We lose our sense of logic while deciding our evening snacks. However, we should not blame them because such is the hunger at that time. The reason for eating more in the evening is because of the reduction of stress hormones during that time. With mornings comes the stress of work and other goals to be met during the day.
However, as the evening progresses, a person tends to relax and their stress hormones decrease, leading to an increase in appetite because stress hormones suppress appetite.
Some important nutritious snacks for evening time:
i. Grapefruit Handful Roasted Peanuts and Chickpeas
ii. Roasted Jowar Puffs
iii. Dried Figs
Waking up hungry late at night
If a person wakes up hungry during the night, it may be because they haven't eaten enough during the day or have changed their routine to get more exercise. The reason for this may be that the person is not getting enough sleep or may have night eating syndrome.
If a person who wakes up hungry is eating enough during the day and is generally getting enough sleep, he or she may have a disorder that falls under the diagnostic category other specific eating or eating disorders (OSFED).
Most often these types of hunger pangs can be caused by a lack of energy or a severe calorie deficit. If a person does not eat enough food during the day, he may feel hungry, but then there are other reasons behind feeling hungry in the middle of the night.